Networking with Ad Executives

I attended a networking event here at Canisius that was put on by our own Advertising Club. It took place on Monday, April 28 in the Grupp Fireside Lounge. It was mostly students that attended, and it was a quiet setting which was nice because we were able to get a lot of insight from the professionals there. Being in the presence of some important heads of advertising agencies in the area was a bit intimidating at first. But once they started talking. I think we all felt more comfortable. The event was set up so that it began with the advertising professionals speaking to the entire group about who they were, where they worked, what they did, and how they got there. Learning how they ended up in their positions was a great thing to know, as many of us would like to follow similar paths. Then we were able to speak to them individually and as small groups. I was able to ask things like “What do you specifically look for in a portfolio?” and “What do we do when we don’t have the years of experience many employers are looking for?” They answered those and more, and assured us that we were already ahead of a lot of people by being at the event and connecting with them in person. We exchanged business cards, and one of the guys told us to send him our resumes because he is looking to hire. I think many of us are going to take advantage of that opportunity, and having already put a face to our names, we’re one step ahead. The piece of advice I’m carrying with me the most from these professionals is that we have to be patient and build up a strong body of work before we expect to get our dream jobs. They said that it’s different from when our parents were our age — people aren’t landing huge jobs right out of college anymore. We were even told that we might have to do an internship or even volunteer after school ends. But they said that it’s just how it is, and “If you’re passionate, you’ll go far.”